The present invention is related to the inhibition of corrosion of reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure. In particular, this invention provides compositions and a method for the reduction of the corrosion rate of already corroding steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure as well as for the protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure exposed to aggressive environments.
Durability limitations of steel reinforced concrete are well documented. Corrosive environments (e.g. the presence of chlorides), carbonation of concrete structures, poor workmanship and other factors can quickly cause corrosion of the reinforcing steel.
Chloride ions in concrete can originate from the ingress of de-icing salts, seawater or air-borne salts, diffusing to the reinforcement through the pore network of concrete, as well as from contaminated aggregates or from contaminated mixing water (cast in chlorides).
Carbon dioxide as well as other acidic corrodents present in the air react with the free alkali contained in concrete. Over a period of time the pH value of the outermost concrete layer decreases, resulting in a reduction of the natural protection of the steel embedded in reinforced concrete.
Normally, reinforcing steel embedded in concrete is protected because the concrete cover acts as a barrier and the high pH value of the pore fluid assures a passive state. Both the presence of chloride ions at concentrations above a given threshold level and carbonation can put reinforcing steel into an active state und result in corrosion rates that markedly decrease the expected service lives of reinforced concrete structures. Thousands of bridges and other structures made of reinforced concrete need to be repaired worldwide as a consequence of corrosion of the steel reinforcement.
The present invention relates to corrosion-inhibiting compositions for the rehabilitative repassivation of corroded reinforcing steel embedded in hardened concrete as well as for the precautionary, protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded reinforcing steel embedded in hardened concrete structures exposed to corrosive environments. Said corrosion-inhibiting compositions contain corrosion inhibitors with high buffer capacities as well as water repellent agents, and cause a reduction of the corrosion rate of corroding reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure as well as delay the onset of corrosion of uncorroded reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure respectively.
Corrosion inhibitors are compounds or compositions that, when added in small concentrations to a corrosive environment, decrease the corrosion rate. The use of corrosion inhibitors is wide-spread and well established. For example protection systems based on corrosion inhibitors are used to limit the corrosion of process equipment such as cooling systems, pipelines, or central heating systems. Various types of corrosion inhibitors designed for different applications are available in the marketplace. Corrosion inhibitors may be classified into the following groups: Anodic oxidizing passivators (e.g. chromates, nitrites), anodic non-oxidizing passivators (e.g. molybdates), cathodic corrosion inhibitors (e.g. oxygen scavengers such as sulfites or cathodic poisons such as arsenates), film-forming inhibitors of the adsorption type (e.g. amines, alkanolamines). The film-forming corrosion inhibitors, which are typically organic compounds, represent the largest group of corrosion inhibitors and may exhibit anodic, cathodic or mixed behaviour.
Several methods have been suggested to protect reinforcing steel embedded in concrete against corrosion
World Pat. Appl. No. 96/22951 (Berke et al.) discloses a corrosion-inhibiting admixture for hydraulic cement compositions. Said admixture is based on an anodic corrosion inhibitor such as calcium nitrite and a cathodic corrosion inhibitor such as calcium stearate or other organic acids of high molecular weights (C17 to C21) including salts and esters thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,089 (Bobrowski et al.) discloses an admixture for inhibiting the chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcements in concrete. Said admixture is based on an emulsion containing an ester of an unsaturated fatty acid, a surfactant and a saturated fatty acid ester as well as a saturated fatty acid, an amphoteric compound, a glycol and a soap; the admixture is added to the concrete prior to placement.
PCT Pat. Appl. No. 96/27695 (Curatolo et al.) describes a method of controlling effectively chloride-induced corrosion of steel reinforcement members in concrete by the addition of a corrosion-inhibiting admixture to freshly prepared concrete. Said admixture comprises i) one or more waterproofing agents; ii) one or more mono-, di-, or trialkanolamines and iii) optionally, one or more additional corrosion-inhibiting agents, with the proviso that if the waterproofing agent is capable of forming a salt with ii) and/or iii), then at least a portion of i) and ii) and/or iii) are present in said admixture in their salt form in combination with each other.
Swiss Pat. No. 686 368 (Buerge at al.) is related to corrosion-inhibiting admixtures for cementitious building materials which are containing metal parts, e.g. metallic reinforcements. Said admixtures are based on reaction products of amino compounds with one or more inorganic and/or organic acids. The admixtures may contain excessive amounts of the amino compound and/or un-reacted amino- and acid compounds.
According to the four patents above, corrosion inhibitors of the admixture type are added to concrete prior to placement, thus prior to hardening. None of these prior art methods, however, discloses a rehabilitative and/or protective application of corrosion-inhibiting compositions to the surface of a hardened, reinforced concrete structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,846 (Tatematsu et al.) discloses a cement additive for inhibiting concrete deterioration. Said cement additive contains a powder mixture of inorganic ion exchangers as well as optionally nitrite ions. It inhibits the alkali-aggregate reaction and the corrosion of reinforcing steel, thereby protecting concrete from deterioration. Also disclosed is a method of inhibiting or repairing concrete deterioration, comprising charging or applying a cement composition to a concrete crack or to a concrete body whose surface has peeled or been damaged.
However, said method of coating and/or patching damaged concrete structures with a cementitious material is labor-intensive and costly, as well as (regarding patching applications) limited to restorations of not fair-faced concrete structures.
Canadian Pat. No. 1,258,473 (Martin et al.) discribes a method of inhibiting corrosion of iron or steel reinforcements in concrete which comprises incorporating in a slurry of the concrete an effective quantity of a corrosion-inhibiting composition having as its major ingredient a water-soluble hydroxyalkylamine having a molecular weight in the range of about 48 to about 500. An additional method relates to placing a concrete slurry containing said hydroxyalkylamine in corrosion-inhibiting proximity to said reinforcement members embedded in cured concrete structures.
This method relates to corrosion-inhibiting compositions of the concrete admixture type. Said corrosion-inhibiting compositions are mixed with concrete before placing the concrete to either cast or to repair reinforced concrete structures. According to the patent it is not intended to use a solution of said corrosion-inhibiting compositions to impregnate the surface of hardened reinforced concrete. Furthermore, many low to medium molecular weight types of hydroxyalkylamines are featuring disadvantages such as strong ammonia-like odours, high alkalinity and corrosiveness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,573 (Omata et al.) describes a process for inhibiting corrosion of steel built in an inorganic material by applying in a first step an aqueous solution of calcium nitrite, in a second step an aqueous solution of lithium silicate and optionally, in a third step, a cement composition containing a polymer dispersion (e.g. a styrene/butadiene rubber dispersion) to the surface of said inorganic material. Claimed corrosion inhibitors: only inorganic compounds such as calcium nitrite, sodium nitrite, tricalcium phosphate, sodium chromate. Said solution gradually penetrates the inorganic material by ionic diffusion.
This method shows the following disadvantages: By applying a coat consisting of a polymer dispersion the anyway slow rate of ionic diffusion of the claimed inorganic corrosion inhibitors could be further slowed down. Furthermore the aspect of treated surfaces may alter by top-coating with a cement composition (important regarding fair-faced concrete fronts). Chromates are featuring problematic toxicity data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,349 (Hansen) discloses a method to inhibit the corrosion of ferrous-based metals embedded in concrete containing chlorides by drawing the chlorides away from the metal, (by applying water and electric current) and then applying a composition containing ammonium carbamate or ammonium carbonate to the concrete. Optionally, sodium silicate may be added to the solution.
World Pat. Appl. No. 91/09153 (Hettiarachchi et al.) discloses a method for applying an anti-corrosive agent to a reinforcing bar in a cementitious structure. An electrolyte solution containing an anti-corrosive agent is placed in contact with a surface of the structure, and the agent is drawn into and trough the structure, into contact with the embedded reinforcing bar, by an electric field. Therefore an electrical connection between a first electrode placed in contact with said solution and a second electrode has to be made. The second electrode has to be positioned in the structure and may include the reinforcing member. Said anti-corrosive agent is selected from the groups of tetraalkyl-phosphonium compounds, nitrites or molybdates.
European Pat. Appl. No. 0 723 947 A1 (Guerin) relates to a process for the restoration and protection of reinforced concrete structures. Solutions of alkaline electrolytes containing optionally a hydrophilic compound and/or a surfactant are filled into reservoirs which are installed on the surface of a concrete structure. An electrical connection is provided between external electrodes situated in the reservoirs and the reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete. Said electrolytes migrate by osmotic diffusion in direction of the reinforcement.
Disadvantage of the three methods mentioned above: Reservoirs equipped with counter-electrodes have to be installed, which is difficult to perform at structurized concrete surfaces as well as labor-intensive and costly. Furthermore treatments according to said methods may cause undesirable efflorescences. The method according to the European Pat. Appl. No. 0 723 947 A1 is causing a reduction of the corrosion rate of the reinforcement by realkalization, but doesn""t make use of the beneficial corrosion-inhibiting effect caused by the addition of corrosion inhibitors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,529 (Miksic et al.) describes a method of inhibiting corrosion of metal reinforcements embedded within cured concrete. The method comprises providing a plurality of exteriorly-accessible uniformly distributed openings in the concrete. In each of these openings a containers having a permeable wall structure and containing an adsorbent material as well as a migrating corrosion inhibitor is placed. The permeable wall structure of the containers allows the corrosion inhibitor to exit the container and to migrate through the concrete to the rebars to thereby inhibit corrosion.
European Pat. Spec. No. 0 305 393 B1 (Banks) relates to a method for inhibiting corrosion of reinforcement of a reinforced porous structure by incorporating in the concrete of a vapour-phase corrosion-inhibitor, characterized in that the inhibitor is inserted in the structure, during or after its formation, and selectively positioned adjacent or in contact with the reinforcement, to cause the inhibitor to migrate through the structure and more particularly along an interface between the structural material and the reinforcement.
The last two methods are featuring a common disadvantage: Before treating a hardened concrete structure according to these methods, a large number of holes has to be drilled into the surface of the concrete structure, Which is both labor-intensive and costly, as well as has negative consequences regarding the aspect of fair-faced concrete fronts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,579 (Johnston et al.) describes corrosion-inhibiting systems which comprise at least one of the following compounds: sodium-fluorophosphate and a water soluble salt of alkyl- and/or aminoalkyl- and/or N-hydroxyalkylphosphonic acid derivatives said above. The invention also discloses deicers, paints and other corrosion inhibitors in numerous carriers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,092,109 (Rosenberg et al.) discloses methods of protecting metal structures in hydraulic cement bridge decking against corrosion comprising applying an agent consisting of calcium nitrite to the bridge decking and to the juncture of the metal structure with the bridge decking respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,141 (Hoopes et al.) discloses a rehabilitative solution for preventing or retarding the spread of corrosion of metal reinforcements in concrete, comprising
a) one or more corrosion-inhibiting agent(s) selected from different groups of chemicals (e.g. nitrites) and
b) an impregnation-increasing amount of penetration-enhancing agents selected from the group of C1 to C20 alcohols, alkali metal salts of gluconic acid, alkyl-substitutet benzene compounds or mixtures thereof.
According to the literature underdosages of the anodic corrosion inhibitor nitrite in a reinforced concrete structure contaminated with chlorides may cause the adverse, undesirable effect of promoting the corrosion of the ferrous reinforcement.
All the prior art methods have at least one of the following disadvantages:
They comprise corrosion-inhibiting compositions to be added only to fresh concrete.
They require the drilling of a multitude of holes into the concrete surface.
They require the installation of auxiliary devices like electrodes, reservoirs.
They are labor-intensive and therefore costly.
They require the application of electric current.
They comprise inorganic corrosion inhibitors showing only limited rates of diffusion.
They have the inherent risk of causing undesirable efflorecence.
They are not very suitable for the restoration of structured concrete surfaces or fair-faced concrete fronts.
None of the prior art methods, however, disclose a rehabilitative and/or protective corrosion inhibition of reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure by means of applying an aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition comprising corrosion-inhibiting compounds as well as organosilicone based water repellent agents to the surface of said concrete structure, featuring in addition to improved anti-corrosion action the following additional advantages:
of being not labor-intensive,
of implying moderate overall cost of rehabilitative treatment,
of implying an easy application even on structured concrete surfaces,
of not influencing the aspect of concrete surface.
Hence, it was an object of this present invention to provide novel compositions being suitable for the reduction of the corrosion rate of already corroding steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure as well as for the protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure exposed to aggressive environments whereby said compositions do not display the above pointed out drawbacks.
It was furthermore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of reducing the corrosion rate of already corroding steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure as well as for the protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure exposed to aggressive environments.
It was finally an object of the present invention to use novel compositions based on amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compound(s) for a process to reduce the corrosion rate of already corroding steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure as well as for the protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened concrete structure exposed to aggressive environments.
The above objectives were met pursuant to the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims. Further aspects of the invention could be derived from the description.
Thus, the aqueous corrosion-inhibiting compositions according to the present invention comprise the following components:
a) One or more amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compound(s), partially or completely neutralized with one or more inorganic acid(s) and/or derivatives thereof and/or aliphatic carboxylic- and/or aromatic carboxylic acid(s), in an amount sufficient to inhibit corrosion of said steel reinforcement.
b) One or more surfactant(s) providing an enhanced wetting and penetration capability by altering the surface tension is applied in one or more coats to the surface of a hardened reinforced concrete structure which has undergone or is susceptible to corrosion of the reinforcing steel.
c) One or more water-based and/or water-thinnable water repellent agent(s), selected from the group of organosilicone compounds.
By mixing the aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition consisting of components a) and b) with the further component c), quite surprisingly, an additional protection from rain water and/or from seawater and/or from the ingress of corrosive chemicals can be achieved. It turns out that the presence of component c) provides unexpectedly a markedly improved resistance to the penetration of water, while being permeable to vapor which is quite important within the context of the drying process where the departure of humidity in the form of vapor must not be hindered. Thus, through the improved resistance to the water penetration, the corrosion-inhibition could be significantly improved.
Said hardened concrete, particularly the outermost layer(s) of said hardened concrete in close vicinity of the outermost parts of the reinforcement, may be carbonated to any degree or uncarbonated and/or may contain chloride ions.
The disclosed aqueous surface-applied corrosion-inhibiting impregnations are featuring the ability to reduce the corrosion rates of corroded steel reinforcement embedded in a hardened concrete due to their corrosion-inhibiting action as well as, in the case of a carbonated reinforced concrete structures, by realkalizing the carbonated concrete due to their alkalinities and their high buffer capacities. Additionally the corrosion rate of reinforcing steel, embedded in a hardened concrete structures exposed to moisture, rain-fall and/or seawater, is further reduced due to the water repellent action of organosilicone compound(s) blended into said impregnations.
The careful selection of the amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compounds as well as of the inorganic acid and/or carboxylic acid compounds allows the formulation of corrosion-inhibiting impregnations with high buffer capacities. When applied on the surface of a carbonated hardened reinforced concrete structure, said corrosion-inhibiting compositions are capable to raise the pH value of the concrete""s pore fluid in the vicinity of the reinforcing steel to a level, where the corrosion rate is markedly reduced.
Amines and alkanolamines and salts thereof have the unique feature to move a considerable distance through hardened reinforced concrete because of their physico-chemical properties. They interact with the reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete resulting in a protection of the reinforcing steel.
Preferably, combinations of fast-penetrating and slow-penetrating corrosion-inhibiting compounds are selected, having the advantage of combining fast initial action with extended service life. Thus said corrosion-inhibiting composition preferably comprise at least two corrosion-inhibiting compounds, at least one which penetrates relatively quickly and at least one other which penetrates relatively slowly under the conditions to be encountered at building sites.
In accordance with the present invention it was quite unexpectedly found that when certain amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compounds are combined with some inorganic acids and/or derivatives thereof and/or carboxylic acids, as well as one or more surfactants b) and water-based or water-thinnable water repellent agents based on organosilicones c) to said composition, not only a corrosion-inhibition of uncorroded reinforcing steel embedded in hardened concrete can be achieved, but the corrosion rate of already corroded reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure can be reduced significantly.
Preferably, said amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compound(s) of component a) according to this invention is (are) selected from the group comprising:
The most preferred amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compounds are selected from the group comprising
3-(Methylamino)propylamine
3-(Dimethylamino)propylamine
3-(Diethylamino)propylamine
Cyclohexaneamine
N-Methylcyclohexylamine
N-Ethylcyclohexylamine
2-[(2-Aminoethyl)amino]ethanol
1-Amino-2-propanol
1-(Methylamino)-2-propanol
1-(Dimethylamino)-2-propanol
1-(Ethylamino)-2-propanol
1-(Cyclohexylamino)-2-propanol
3-Amino-1-propanol
2-Aminoethanol
2-(Methylamino)ethanol
2-(Dimethylamino)ethanol
2-(Ethylamino)ethanol
2-(Diethylamino)ethanol
2-(Butylamino)ethanol
2-[(1,1-Dimethylethyl)amino]ethanol
2-(Cyclohexylamino)ethanol
1,1xe2x80x2-Iminobis-2-propanol
2,2xe2x80x2-Iminobisethanol
2,2xe2x80x2-(Methylimino)bisethanol
1,1xe2x80x2-(Methylimino)bis-2-propanol
2,2xe2x80x2-(Butylimino)bisethanol
2,2xe2x80x2-[(1,1-Dimethylethyl)imino]bisethanol
1,1xe2x80x2,1xe2x80x3-Nitriotris-2-propanol
2,2xe2x80x2,2xe2x80x3-Nitrilotrisethanol
Said inorganic acid(s) and/or derivatives thereof and/or carboxylic acid(s) of component a) according to this invention is (are) selected from:
The most preferred inorganic acid(s) and/or the derivates thereof and/or the carboxylic acid(s) and/or the derivatives thereof of component a) are selected from the group comprising
Sodium hydrogen carbonate
Potassium hydrogen carbonate
Orthophosphoric acid
Sodium dihydrogen phosphate
Potassium dihydrogen phosphate
Diphosphoric acid
Sodium dihydrogen diphosphate
Potassium dihydrogen diphosphate
Monofluorophosphoric acid
n-Hexanoic acid
n-Heptanoic acid
n-Octanoic acid
n-Nonanoic acid
2-Ethylhexanoic acid
Isooctanoic acid
1,6-Hexanedicarboxylic acid
1,8-Octanedicarboxylic acid
Glycerophosphoric acid
D-Gluconic acid
Glucosemonocarboxylic acid
Benzoic acid
2-Hydroxybenzoic acid
4-Hydroxybenzoic acid
4-Nitrobenzoic acid
4-Methylbenzoic acid
4-(1-Methylethyl)benzoic acid
4-(1,1-Dimethylethyl)benzoic acid
Suitable amounts of component a) according to this invention are between 8.0% to 80.0%, preferably between 25% to 50,% by weight, based on the weight of said aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition.
Said surfactants of component b) according to this invention are preferably selected from the group comprising:
N-(C8 to C22-Acyl)sarcosine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt,
preferably N-Lauroylsarcosine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt and/or
N-Cocoylsarcosine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt and/or
N-Oleylsarcosine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt
N-(C8 to C22-Acyl)-xcex2-alanine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt,
preferably N-Lauroyl-xcex2-alanine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt and/or
N-Cocoyl-xcex2-alanine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt and/or
N-Oleyl-xcex2-alanine, alkanolammonium or sodium salt
C8 to C22-Fatty acid monoethanolamide
C8 to C22-Fatty acid diethanolamide
1-(C6 to C12-Alkyl)-2-pyrrolidinone,
preferably 1-Octyl-2-pyrrolidinone and/or 1-Dodecyl-2-pyrrolidinone fluoro-surfactants
Examples: N-Oleylsarcosine, sodium salt 1-Octyl-2-pyrrolidinone
Said alkanolammonium salts of the corresponding surfactant(s) are based on alkanol-amines selected from 2-aminoethanol, 2-(methylamino)ethanol, 2-(butylamino)-ethanol, 2,2xe2x80x2-iminobisethanol, 2,2xe2x80x2,2xe2x80x3-nitrilotrisethanol.
Suitable amounts of said surfactants of component b) according to this invention are 0.05% to 10.0%, preferably 0.5% to 5.0%, by weight, based on the weight of said aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition.
Said water-based or water-thinnable organosilicone compound(s) according to this invention is (are) selected from:
silanes
alkylalkoxysilanes of the general formula R15xe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94(OR16)3 
R15=C4 to C16 alkyl
R16=C1 to C3 alkyl
oligomeric siloxanes and derivatives thereof
alkali siliconates
Suitable amounts of said water repellent of component c), i.e. of the organosilicone compound(s) according to this invention are from about 0.1% to 50.0%, preferably 1.0% to 20.0%, and more preferably 5.0% to 15.0%, by weight, based on the weight of said aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition.
The compositions according to the present invention may also comprise further components such as biocidal agents, stabilizers etc. as desired.
The disclosed corrosion-inhibiting compositions are showing a fast reduction of the corrosion rate of corroding reinforcing steel, as well as excellent corrosion-inhibition properties, ensuring the protection of reinforcing steel embedded in hardened concrete, thus securing the expected service life of such concrete structures. Furthermore, the application of said corrosion-inhibiting compositions to a hardened reinforced concrete structure implies the following advantages:
not labor-intensive
moderate overall cost of rehabilitative treatment
easy application even on structured concrete surfaces
not influencing the aspect of the concrete surface.
A further aspect of the present invention is a novel method for the rehabilitative reduction of the corrosion rate of corroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened, reinforced concrete structure as well as for the precautionary, protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened, reinforced concrete structure by impregnating the surface of said concrete structure with the novel aqueous corrosion-inhibiting compositions set forth above.
According to said novel method, a solution and/or an emulsion and/or a micro-emulsion comprising the following 3 components is applied onto the hardened, reinforced concrete structure, whereby said solution and/or an emulsion and/or a micro-emulsion penetrates into the concrete material to reach the steel reinforcements:
a) One or more amino- and/or hydroxyalkylamino compound(s), partially or completely neutralized with one or more inorganic acid(s) and/or derivatives thereof and/ or aliphatic carboxylic- and/or aromatic carboxylic acid(s), in an amount sufficient to inhibit corrosion of said steel reinforcement, whereby said organic acid(s) contains one or more carboxylic groups and may additionally contain one or more hydroxyl groups.
b) One or more surfactant(s) providing an enhanced wetting and penetration capability by altering the surface tension.
c) One or more water-based or water-thinnable water repellent agent(s) selected from the group of organosilicones.
In situations where the reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure has undergone corrosion or is susceptible to corrosion, it is desirable to have a corrosion-inhibiting composition available which can be applied to the surface of the concrete structure and thereafter penetrates inwardly to protect the reinforcing steel. The method according to the present invention includes the improvement of an existing corrosion-inhibiting protection of reinforcing steel embedded in a hardened concrete structure which is containing corrosion inhibitors added as an admixture to the concrete at the time the concrete was cast.
According to a preferred embodiment, in a first step, one or more coats of said aqueous corrosion-inhibiting composition consisting of the components a, b) and c) are applied as a pretreatment to the surface of a hardened reinforced concrete structure, optionally followed by an impregnation performed with one or more coats consisting of component c).
Subsequent to the disclosed surface-applied treatment, corrosion-inhibiting compounds penetrate into the concrete and adsorb chemically on the surface of both, corroding and non-corroding reinforcing steel. The rates of penetration of said corrosion-inhibiting compounds are sufficient to cause a reduction of the corrosion rate of corroded reinforcing steel as well as to protect uncorroded reinforcing steel over extended periods of time.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the corrosion-inhibiting solution or emulsion or microemulsion is applied on the concrete surface in several coats by brush, by paint roller or by a spraying device in a total amount of 200-2000 g/m2, preferably 300-1000 g/m2.
A final aspect of the present invention is the use of the above set forth novel compositions for the rehabilitative reduction of the corrosion rate of corroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened, reinforced concrete structure as well as for the precautionary, protective corrosion inhibition of uncorroded steel reinforcements embedded in a hardened, reinforced concrete structure by impregnation of said hardened reinforced concrete structure.
The following examples I-V show that such compositions are able to reduce the corrosion rate of corroding reinforcing steel to a negligible value (repassivation effect) as well as to protect uncorroded steel from corrosion. They are included for the purpose of illustrating the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. All component percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated.